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Black Mountain

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Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Suggest New Bands and Artists
Forum Description: Suggest, create polls, and classify new bands you would like included on Prog Archives
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=51365
Printed Date: June 04 2025 at 03:13
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Topic: Black Mountain

Posted By: Alberto Muñoz
Subject: Black Mountain
Date Posted: August 28 2008 at 11:15

Hello fellow progressive friends

Yesterday i hear a band called Black Mountain, his first CD, they play a blend of very heavy rock with progressive overtones, similar in cases like Hawkwind, and with influence by Led Zep, Neil Young, Hendrix, etc.

I think that i heard enough elements of prog to consider them a stander to add to PA soon, but today i will hear his second effort.

Opinions my friends

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Replies:

Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: August 28 2008 at 12:21

It's a local for me band. I think I saw a bit of their set at at a free concert before.

Here's the myspace: %3cspan%20class= - http://www.myspace.com/blackmountain">http://www.myspace.com/blackmountain
And the website: http://www.blackmountainarmy.com/ - blackmountainarmy.com

Here's the wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mountain_%28band%29 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mountain_(band)
The band has opened for Coldplay.

Incidentally, Wikipedia mentions that the band's leader "also heads another similarly named band, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Mountaintops - Pink Mountaintops , who are the more experimental side of McBean's musical abilities" (after listening to Pink Mountaintop, I'm not suggesting it for PA).
%3cspan%20class= - http://www.myspace.com/pinkmountaintops %3cspan%20class= -
http://www.pinkmountaintops.com/ - pinkmountaintops.com

Gratuitous note, wikipedia also mentions that "The name "Black Mountain" could be a reference to a large pile of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashish - hashish or simply the mountain of the same name which lies predominant on the city's North Shore skyline." Black Mountain is one of my favourite hikes in the area I grew up.

In terms of influence, I'd say it's more influenced by prog-related acts which makes it a related to prog related band in a way (hard rock Black Sabbath, others you listed, to psychadelic bands/ jam bands). That said, there are progressive overtones (and in its psych qualities). It's related.

Here's a little article I dug up:

http://www.realitysandwich.com/black_mountains_prog_gnosis - http://www.realitysandwich.com/black_mountains_prog_gnosis

And with the current rock scene so caged by its Pitchforkist pretensions, it’s sometimes difficult to ride the shamelessly spirited ascension offered by a band like Black Mountain without feeling a little ashamed. Isn’t this the “stoner” sound that everything from punk to hip-hop to electronic dance music once reacted against? Why does the current prog revival inspire us to not only dig bands like Black Mountain or The Mars Volta but also listen to the likes of vintage Rush, Yes, and Genesis with new ears?

.....

Schmidt’s Mellotron doodles went on and on and on. And I was still sad when it ended!

...

Black Mountain’s momentum as a live band takes something so sacred and solitary when injected by headphones and translates it for the fuzzy heyday of open fields of frolic and spacious stadiums of the mind. More renovation than regurgitation, the music mounts the mythic towers of epic everything to proclaim the future, coming full circle until the future is the past – a promising, while problematic, prognosis that could only be reached through this witchy brew of badass prog gnosis.

A comment made on the article:

Submitted by http://www.realitysandwich.com/user/peacefulobserver - peacefulobserver on Thu, 02/28/2008 - 18:03.

Just venting my opinion about this band, I dont like them. The vocals ruin every song. I would never place this band in the same category as prog bands like red sparrows, russian circles, neurosis, ect. I am not saying I hate them, they just dont deserve the praise they are getting.

And editorial review from amazon

Amazon.com
With In the Future, the Vancouver, BC-based retro-rock act Black Mountain has really worked through its influences, delivering a classic slab of new stoner/headphone rock. The band's eponymous debut treaded through the catalog of many a classic rock and folk artist's greatest hits album, picking the best bits from Deep Purple and Black Sabbath here, Mountain and Thin Lizzy there, as if these kids' folks had good taste in Big Rock, but not much else. In the Future is far less afflicted with such big-mustache irony. It's tempting, for example, to call the sprawling, hypnotic "Bright Lights" an "epic jam," simply because it's almost 17 minutes long. But the song has great male and female vocals, bring to mind John Doe and Exene Cervenka knackered on laudanum, and is hugely massive in parts, quiet and moody in others. Besides which, it really is a great epic song, not quite up to par with the song suite from Rush's 2112, but surpassing anything similar by Uriah Heep. The rest of the record is eclectic without ever straying far from heavy, psyched-out prog-metal with touches of contrasting folk. Basically, this is the ideal soundtrack to a serious game of Dungeons & Dragons. --Mike McGonigal

I'm enjoying the music, anyway.

Aanother article from: http://www.sfweekly.com/2008-01-30/music/black-mountain-s-psychedelic-sprawl-needs-a-roadmap/ - http://www.sfweekly.com/2008-01-30/music/black-mountain-s-psychedelic-sprawl-needs-a-roadmap/

...
In the Future's warm, vintage sound can't be argued with, but its conceptual and musical superfluity hints at perhaps too much playing around in the studio. The classic prog-rock that permeates the record often feels unfocused and sprawling over the course of 60 minutes. A couple of songs hover near the 10-minute mark, while the head-scratching, shape-shifting "Bright Lights" lasts more than 16 minutes. This is a perfect example of the album's failings, as lead singer and guitarist Stephen McBean and vocalist Amber Webber sing the phrase "Bright light, light bright" repeatedly before launching into a seemingly random list of "h" words — hurried, hunters, helpless, hitting, etc. The band teeters on the edge of parodying the genres from which it usually manages to steal the best parts. It's one thing to cull the awesomeness of Rush, Sabbath, and Pink Floyd from their overwrought catalogues; it's another to overindulge in prog-rock and stoner metal cheese. Even the album's artwork, created by keyboardist Jeremy Schmidt, looks like a bad Mars Volta cover or a '70s Floyd poster. In The Future does have moments when the druggy puzzle pieces fit together perfectly, though, as on the slow-burning Southern rocker "Angels," the hazy, bass-pounding "Wucan," and McBean's acoustic ballad, "Stay Free"....

So perhaps heavy stoner rock with progressive tendencies.

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Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me.

Posted By: Ivan_Melgar_M
Date Posted: August 28 2008 at 13:18

Logan wrote:

In terms of influence, I'd say it's more influenced by prog-related acts which makes it a related to prog related band in a way (hard rock Black Sabbath, others you listed, to psychadelic bands/ jam bands). That said, there are progressive overtones (and in its psych qualities). It's related.

I haven't heard them yet, but there's an important issue.

Is a band influenced by Prog RELATED bands also Prog??

Without being 100% Prog, received clear MUSICAL influence of this genre,

http://www.progarchives.com/subgenre.asp?style=38 - http://www.progarchives.com/subgenre.asp?style=38

I believe they have to be influenced by PROG BANDS in order to be considered for Prog Related.

A second question:

What's the rush of adding unknown local bands to Prog Related?

the inclusion of a band is exceptional and only after verifying that it’s a contribution for the better understanding of Prog among the members and visitors instead of a source of confusion for the community.

http://www.progarchives.com/subgenre.asp?style=38 - http://www.progarchives.com/subgenre.asp?style=38

I think the main purpose of Prog Related is adding bands that despite being non Prog ARE IMPORTANT GFOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROGRESSIVE ROCK.

So lets ask ourselves, Has this Black Mountain contributed in anything to the development of Progressive Rock or to Rock if we want to be precise?

Are they so trascendental that we can't avoid making an exception and adding them to Prog Related:

the inclusion of a band is exceptional

http://www.progarchives.com/subgenre.asp?style=38 - http://www.progarchives.com/subgenre.asp?style=38

I don't see the point in increasing Prog Related with bands that may have Prog overtones but represent nothing for the genre.

Iván

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Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: August 28 2008 at 15:02

It's not a local band for Zafreth, and not unknown (pretty unknown in the prog world I expect) and I'm not proposing addition. I was barely familiar with the band. I checked out myspace to listen to the music before responding, and looked up quotes where prog is mentioned in relation to the band. Incidentally, I messed up with the myspace link: %3cspan%20class= - http://www.myspace.com/blackmountain

A related to related bands is related I would say, perhaps just a more distant relation. Whether it fits any of the categories here, I won't say, but the music itself does have progressive qualities to my ear.

There are other ors for PR.

"- Without being 100% Prog, received clear MUSICAL influence of this genre, OR

- Are widely accepted as MUSICALLY influential to the development of Progressive Rock by the community, OR

- Blend characteristics of Progressive Rock with mainstream elements creating a final product that despite not being part of the genre is evident that are close to Prog."

The third option is where this might be considerable to some for PR.

If we go to this quote:

"Prog Related bands are not considered part of the genre but they have contributed in some form in the development of Progressive Rock, the inclusion of a band is exceptional and only after verifying that it’s a contribution for the better understanding of Prog among the members and visitors instead of a source of confusion for the community."

This is a modern band, and though I'm not proposing this addition, I think that there should be a place for modern/ recent bands that are in some form contributing to the development of Progressive Rock (degree is important). It's likely that it has to some extent. A great many non-prog (or quasi-prog for that matter) bands progress rock in some regard (this one has retro elements, but may blend those in an uncommon way thereby expanding the parameters of rock). It's inclusion may help with an understanding of certain kinds of modern prog to some, and it may help people better understand what's not prog to an extent.

Incidentally, I know you wrote the definition, so it's kind of hard to argue semantics (perhaps the definition is a little unclear, and I do wish we could get rid of those percentages).

"Without being 100% Prog, received clear MUSICAL influence of this genre..."

So if a band is only 99% Prog then it qualifies for related? Such quantification is very problematic, moreso considering the nature of Prog and different opinions on what is Prog in the first place. genesis was no where near 100% Prog, maybe it was on some albums (I don't think that Selling England... is 100% Prog).

But as you say, it should be exceptional. I have no idea about their significance barely knowing the band.

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Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me.

Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: August 28 2008 at 15:53

Black Mountain was rejected by the HeavyProg team several months ago.. they might work in Psych, but "retro stoner rock" is not necessarily Prog.. Mammatus yes, Black Mountain not as much

Posted By: Alberto Muñoz
Date Posted: August 28 2008 at 15:57

My main reason is:

PROG ARCHIVES intends to be the most complete and powerful http://www.progarchives.com/Progressive-rock.asp - progressive rock resource.

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Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: August 28 2008 at 16:11

Alberto: I enjoyed the myspace tracks (and it is nice to see a local for me band/ artist get mentioned -- other than Bryan Adams). It's not your average "retro stoner rock" band (I did like the psych qualities). I agree that psych is the "prog category" where it would be most considerable, though I personally would not have expected this one to be accepted there. There's no harm in mentioning it to them (but, see thread below, it is known by one of the team who commented favourably). We'll see how things develop with this.

Let us know what you you think of the second album.

EDIT: I am such an absent-minded doofus. Listened to the band when it was suggested before (there's my limited familiarity -- commonly listen to so many proposals that I tend to forget). The comments were very encouraging for this in a prog category.

forum_posts.asp?TID=47072&KW=Black+mountain - Black Mountain for Space Rock
By member_profile.asp?PF=10195 - King By-Tor , March 13 2008 at 11:58

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Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me.

Posted By: Alberto Muñoz
Date Posted: August 28 2008 at 16:23

Logan wrote:

Alberto: I enjoyed the myspace tracks (and it is nice to see a local for me band/ artist get mentioned -- other than Bryan Adams). It's not your average "retro stoner rock" band (I did like the psych qualities). I agree that psych is the "prog category" where it would be most considerable, though I personally would not have expected this one to be accepted there. There's no harm in mentioning it to them. Thanks for the suggestion! We'll see how things develop with this (I don't know if anyone else has heard both albums?)

Yeah i listen right now in my I Pod and i like these songs:

Don't Run Our Heads Around, has a very good and bone crushing riff!!!, and combined with a soft duo vocal, until the band gets full blow in a total assault to the listener!!

Set Us Free goes with a melancolic line and sorrow guitar, to me one of their pinnacle songs!!!

Heart of snow a winter tale that every prog folk band can be envy...

Let us know what you you think of the second album.

Today i will hear!!!!

EDIT: I am such an absent-minded doofus. Listened to the band when it was suggested before (there's my limited familiarity -- commonly listen to so many proposals that I tend to forget).

forum_posts.asp?TID=47072&KW=Black+mountain - - Black - Mountain for Space Rock
By member_profile.asp?PF=10195 - King By-Tor , March 13 2008 at 11:58

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Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: August 28 2008 at 16:24

^ that thread says it all... whoever is interested, please read it

Posted By: Ivan_Melgar_M
Date Posted: August 28 2008 at 16:36

Logan, don't get angry, I'm just making some points, I now you haven't induiuvted yet, I was clear, by that moment I hadn't even heard them, but the arguments didn't convinced me.

Logan wrote:

A related to related bands is related I would say, perhaps just a more distant relation. Whether it fits any of the categories here, I won't say, but the music itself does have progressive qualities to my ear.

I think that related to related is widening the scenario too much, using that we could add any 70's band to Prog Related without any problem.

We used to play a game in another forum of mentioning two different bands one POP and another Prog ,and we had to create a connection between them in 5 or 10 steps using members names,....in 99% of the cases we achieved success.

If we add Related to Related, anything can be added, I believe the relation must be direct and clear.

Logan wrote:

This is a modern band, and though I'm not proposing this addition, I think that there should be a place for modern/ recent bands that are in some form contributing to the development of Progressive Rock (degree is important). It's likely that it has to some extent. A great many non-prog (or quasi-prog for that matter) bands progress rock in some regard (this one has retro elements, but may blend those in an uncommon way thereby expanding the parameters of rock). It's inclusion may help with an understanding of certain kinds of modern prog to some, and it may help people better understand what's not prog to an extent.

Now I can talk about Black Mountain because I downloaded lads of samples and full songs legally availlable.

Being a late 70's dinosaur myself I can't do anything but klove the sound of Black Mountain, they remind me of Nazareth, with a hint of Uriah Heep and Mountain! surely this guys follow the 70's and are very good.

The first song I got Tyrant, is dark haunting, with more than casual Nazareth references and some of Zeppelin, the female chorus are an excellent touch, some synths a la Ian Hammer (Miami Vice) piss me a bit, but the music is very good, not Prog though, just retro hard Rock.

Drugnaut: Is a heavy-funky attempt of cloning Led Zeppelin in one of their less Prog related songs, .

Voices: Totaly and simple hard rock, a couple distorted vocals and some spacey keys don't alter the structure which is very basic.

Wucan: Basic, a couple of chords track, could somebody tell this drummer there is more than one beat?

No Satisfaction: Hey, the Rolling Stones are comming for their royalties! Again the drummer is using the same single beat.

They are modern, have some good moments, but no, they don't have the slightest cobnnection with Prog IMO, just stoner Hard Rock.

Logan wrote:

Incidentally, I know you wrote the definition, so it's kind of hard to argue semantics (perhaps the definition is a little unclear, and I do wish we could get rid of those percentages).

"Without being 100% Prog, received clear MUSICAL influence of this genre..."

Logan, this percentage is used just to specify clearly and beyond any doubt that this bands are not TOTALLY = ¨100% Prog, and BTW it was approved by all the Collaborators in it's moment after months of being posted.

Logan wrote:

So if a band is only 99% Prog then it qualifies for related? Such quantification is very problematic, moreso considering the nature of Prog and different opinions on what is Prog in the first place. genesis was no where near 100% Prog, maybe it was on some albums (I don't think that Selling England... is 100% Prog).

Even a 100% Prog band will play some non Prog or less Proiggy material, but Gebnesis and Yes were releasaing pure Prog albums on their day.

This guys are playing stiber hard Rock and nothing more.

Logan wrote:

But as you say, it should be exceptional. I have no idea about their significance barely knowing the band.

Honestly, for what I see, when the kids grow a little and leave the drugs, they will change their sound radically, for the viseoas seem like a garage band that will hardly last a couple of years, because they are doing their best effort not to be taken seriously.

Sadly because except for the drummer, they are good.

Iván

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Posted By: Windhawk
Date Posted: August 28 2008 at 17:15

Interesting to read the review of the band's latest release in the Rolling Stone mag:
--
If this is the future, start growing out your facial hair now, because it looks like the blood-crazed Canadian hippies will inherit the Earth. Black Mountain are four men and a maiden from Vancouver, reveling in psychedelic prog metal with all the Seventies flourishes. In stoner-detention epics like "Wucan" and "Queens Will Play," they bring metal guitars, multipart song structures, temples-of-Syrinx poetry and vintage synths that sound like they were beamed in from some lost Argent or ELP session. Black Mountain's 2005 debut made them a hit with budding viking warriors everywhere, but In the Future has an even bigger kick, with a surprising blues edge and Amber Webber's vocals adding a touch of Sandy Denny to the battle-of-Evermore vibe. It definitely says something for Black Mountain's achievements that the two best moments here are also the weightiest — the eight-minute "Tyrants" and the sixteen-minute "Bright Lights."

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Websites I work with:

http://www.progressor.net
http://www.houseofprog.com

My profile on Mixcloud:
https://www.mixcloud.com/haukevind/

Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: August 28 2008 at 17:17

Ivan: I'm not angry or upset in the least, Ivan (I don't get offended by internet posts except, well not when it comes to these things, but it's not personal offence, more sadness over the way humans interreact/ judge others sometimes, but nothing like that here). Excuse me if I post in a more general way here rather than point by point (incidentally, the other thread is more informative in regards to the addition). Just in case this was unclear, I wasn't arguing for them being here -- merely listing some impressions and offering somewhat relevant quotes and links to hopefully help with the evaluation.

As I like to say about bands sometimes -- sure they're related, but it depends on how close the relation is. I hadn't meant to imply that being a related to related band makes it considerable. That said, one can draw on related bands to come up with progressive rock without necessarily being directly influenced by (or citing the influences of) progressive rock bands (it would be hardly surprising if this band was influenced by progressive psych/space bands to whatever extent. However, the psych reminds me more of "related" bands -- especially 60s). Early bands pioneered prog without being influenced by other Prog bands. I recognise the criterion mentioned in the definition for related. Of course this one draws heavily on late 60's psyche and 70's non-prog hard rock bands. It is retro, and not really prog retro, yet I do hear progressive qualities (mostly in its use of psyche/ space elements). And the more progressive songs are supposed to be the long ones at the end of each album (though I rather expect them to be more jam-long than prog-long).

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Watching while most appreciating a sunset in the moment need not diminish all the glorious sunsets I have observed before. It can be much like that with music for me.

Posted By: Prog-jester
Date Posted: January 16 2009 at 12:41

so will they be here?

Posted By: Alberto Muñoz
Date Posted: January 23 2009 at 10:44

Prog-jester wrote:

so will they be here?

I hope so

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Posted By: fusionfreak
Date Posted: January 24 2009 at 09:10

So do I!They deserve credit for their heavy psych qualities.

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I was born in the land of Mahavishnu,not so far from Kobaia.I'm looking for the world

of searchers with the help from

crimson king

Posted By: UMUR
Date Posted: January 25 2009 at 03:26

King By-Tor has suggested them for Prog-related to the admin team on the 21th of January 2009. We´ll have to wait for a decision and hopefully the admin team will post their decision here?

Posted By: Alberto Muñoz
Date Posted: January 26 2009 at 13:43

i can wait hearing this:

Don't Run Our Hearts Around, Don't Run Our Hearts Around...

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Posted By: Queen By-Tor
Date Posted: January 26 2009 at 13:54

Hopefully they will be considered... I don't mean to be a pushy b*****d, but I'd love to review these guy's albums - plus I could always get an interview with them because they're local for me.

These aren't reasons to include them, of course